The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
The Kanesville Memorial Historic Site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has completed reinterpretation work and is open for free tours.
On Saturday, September 28, 2024, Elder Kyle S. McKay, Church Historian and Recorder, dedicated the site. He also gave brief remarks, as did Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh. Local government and religious leaders attended the dedicatory service.
In the dedicatory prayer, Elder McKay said, “We express gratitude for this site and the opportunity it provides to commemorate the faith and sacrifice of early Saints. We pray that in a special, sacred way, they might be given to know of our profound gratitude and admiration for them. Above all, we give honor and praise and glory unto Thee and Thy Son, Jesus Christ, for Thy goodness and mercy, Thy kindness and love.”
The Kanesville Memorial Historic Site is among 30 historic sites operated by the Church across the United States. The purpose of these sites is to share a witness to the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ and highlight the heritage of the Latter-day Saints. They help visitors understand significant events in the Church’s history, their connection to teachings of the Church and their ties to local history.
Early Latter-day Saints gathered in Iowa and Nebraska in 1846 after fleeing religious persecution in Nauvoo, Illinois. In late winter and early spring, they struggled across the muddy terrain of Iowa and found refuge along the banks of the Missouri River. This region served as a haven for them as they prepared to emigrate to a new home in the West. Although they understood their stay would be temporary, they built homes, farms, businesses, and meetinghouses. This infrastructure supported a continual westward flow of Latter-day Saints to their gathering place in the Great Basin of present-day Utah.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
